Display cabinet



March 19, 1929.

J. A. LILEY 'DI sPLAY CABINET Filed Aug. 3, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented Mar. 19, 1929.

PATENT QFFICE.

JAMES ARTHUR LILE-Y, OF MARBLE HILL, MISSOURI.

DISPLAY CABINET.

Application led August 3, 1928.

My invention relates to display cabinets, and more particularly to display cabinets or showcases of the t-ype which consists of a number of compartments disposed in stepped relation, each being provided with a glass front and top.

Une object of my invention is to provide means forl enabling said compartments to be opened by an operator positioned behind l0 the cabinet by simultaneously or successively lowering the glass fronts and lifting the glass covers, and a further object of my invention is to provide means for locking said fronts in their raised or closed positions and causing thereby the covers to be locked in their closed positions, so that neither can be opened except by operation of control means located at the rear of the cabinet.

These and other objects of my invent-ion are attained by the novel combination of parts which is described hereinafter, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the ,drawings which form part of this application for Letters Pat-ent, and in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views,

Figure l is a perspectiveview of a display cabinet embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a rearelevation with one of the rear doors shown open and partly broken away -foreconomy of space on the sheet;

Fig. 3 is a. verticalsection taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical line 4 4' of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. el, showing the central hallway;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is avertical section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 is a detail view showing the formation of one of the sliding fronts.

In the drawings l, l, indicate a pair of cab! inet side walls, and 2 a cabinet front, all made preferably of wood and of any suitable size. The side walls are stepped along their front edges with a series of right angled faces, presenting the appearance of the stringers of a staircase. rlhe two side wallsvform the ends of a plurality of compartments disposed in stepped relation, as best appears in Figures l and 3. Each compartment is provided with a hinged glass cover 3, and two sliding section taken on the Serial No. 297,188.

glass fronts el. l, thc cabinet being divided vertically into two similar and equal portions by a pair of parallel stringers 5, 5, which form a central hallway. These stringers are stepped along their front edges by a series of right angled faces o conform exact-ly to the front edges ot' the side walls, I, l. The vertical edges of the stringer right angles are connected by the rectangular front pieces 6. Ordinary hinges 7, 8. connect the covers 3 with the front pieces 6 and the vertical edges of the side walls l, respectively.

The glass portions of the sliding fronts rabbeted in wooden bases 9 of slightly shorter length, so that the edges of the glass project to form tongues which slide in grooves l0 in the stringere, 5, as shown in 7, and similar grooves 101l channeled in the vertical edges of the side walls l.

The compartments are provided with bot.- toms ll secured at their ends to the string ers 5 and the side walls l. These compartments are thus adapted to contain merchandise, to attractively display the same and render it readily accessible to a purchaser standing in front of the cabinet when the hinged tops and sliding fronts are operated by a salesperson behind the cabinet by means of the mechanism which I shall now describe.

Each of the bases 9 is provided along its bottom edge and at its longitudinal center with an eye l2, and each of the compartment bottoms ll -ith a pulley bracket 13 containing a pulley let immediately behind its corresponding eye l2. In the same vertical line with each set of pulleys lelis a triple shea'l of pulleys l5, in a bracket 16, ixed to the cabinet bottom i7.- A cord 18 is fastened to each 'of the eyes l2 and passes through its proper pulleys M and l5. In order to allow proper clearance for the dropping of the middle pair of base portions 9, the cords 18 attached to the foremost or lowest pair of eyes l2 pass over additional pulleys l5 set in brackets i6 loca-ted just forward of the triple sheaf brackets i6. A rochshaft l) is journallcd in bearings 20 set in the cabinet side walls l. This roclrshaft ca ries fixed depending arms 2l provided at their lower ends with the horizontal extensions 22 in which the ends of the cords i8 are secured, as by means of set screws 23. Fixed to the roclrshaft 19 at its center, and disposed at the same angle to the vertical as the depending arms 2l, is an upstanding bellcranlr 2l.

The latter is forked at its upper end to receive the pull rod 25 which is therein pivoted to allow said pull rod to' lie always in an approximately horizontal plane.

lt will be apparent that when the parts just described are in the positions shown in Fig. 3 the sliding glass fronts will be held against gravity in their raised or closed position. lfd/"hen, h vever, the bellcrank 24 is allowed to assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the sliding glass fronts will drop by gravity, sliding inthe grooves 10 and 10, to open the compartments. ln order to hold the slidingfronts in their raised position, the pull rod 25 is provided with a latch in the form of a small stud 25 which slips behind the edge of a perforation in the plate 27 wnich is fixed to the jamb piece 43. This perforation is elliptical in shape, and a knobl 28 is fitted to the end of the rod 25 whereby the latter may be lifted so that the latch 26 may pass through the perforation. ln this way the rod 25 may be secured at its inmost position so that the sliding fronts will be locked against opening.

rfhe hinged covers 3 are lifted by means of the mechanism which will now be described in detail.- Fulci-timed in a bracket 29 secured to the rear of each of the front pieces Gat its lower edge is a bellcrank 30. The forward of this bellcrank is forked to receive a roller 3l rotatable on a pin 32 which projects a little at one side to ride in the right angled guard 33 which is secured to the underside of the cover 3. A push on the rear arm of the bellcrank 30 will thus cause the cover 3 to be lifted, the roller 31 rolling back slightly along the bottom of the glass, as showi in dotted lines at the topmost cover in Fig. 4; Because of the positive connection between said cover and bellcrank afforded .by the pin 32 and guard 33, the cover cannot be lifted without operating the bellcrank. I

This operation is effected by depressing the proper one of three keys 34 pivoted'on a. shaft 35'iournalled in a pair of uprights e inthe top center rear of the cabinet. Each of these keys isconnected at about its middle with the roar arm of one of the bellcranks by a rod 37, so that the keys form levers of the second order, and it is necessary to depress one' of them to cause one of the covers 3 to be lifted.

It has been seen that the front slides 4 are locked in their closed position bypushing the rod 25 to its inmost position and droppin the latch 26 behind the plate 27. When .hese parts are thus locked the covers 3 are also ylocked against lifting by` the sliding plate 38, which is slidably connected to the wall of the cabinet, and is provided with a horizontal lock bar 39, which may be provided with a cushion, and a lower ange 40. vWhen the front slides are lifted to their closed position, the lower arm of the bellcrank 24 raises the sliding plate 38 so that the horizontal lock bar 39 bears up against theunder side of the keys 34 and secures them againstV depression,A Viith the keys thus secured, the covers 3 cannot be lifted from the front'of the ci binet because of the positive connection between cover and key provided by the guard 33, pin 32, bellcrank 30 and rod 37.

The rear of the cabinet may be closed by a pair of hinged doors 4l, which may be latohed as at 42 to the jamb piece 43 conneet-ing the upper rear edges of the stringer 5 and the cabinet bottom 17. A pair of smaller doors 44 may be used to close the upper part of the rear of the cabinet, and a pair ofelectric bulbs 45 may be placed insidefthis part ofthe cabinet to illuminate advertising mat-ter or the like behind the fixed glass front 46.

It is to be understood that the structure shown `and described in this application for Letters Patentembodies but one form of my invention, the principle of which is the combination in a display cabinet of means for lifting the covers of the compartments and lowering their fronts, so that by locking the front loweringmechanism lthe tops are secured against openinv. Other embodiments of this invention will readily suggest themselves to persons. skilled in the art and are therefore to be considered within the scope of the claims hereto appended'.`

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y

l. A display cabinet comprising a plurality of compartments in stepped relation, each compartment being provided with a hinged cover and a sliding front, means for lifting said covers and means for lowering said fronts, in combination with means for preventing the lifting of said covers when said fronts are in raised position.

2. A display cabinet divided into twin sections by aA central hallway, comprising a plurality of compartments in stepped relation, each compartment bein provided with a hinged cover and a pair o sliding fronts, means in said central 'hallway for lifting said covers and means for lowering said fronts, in combination with means for preventing the lifting of said covers when said fronts are vinraised position.

3. A display cabinet comprising a plurality of compartments in stepped relation, each compartment being provided with a Vhinged cover and a sliding front, means for operating said-covers and means for operating said fronts, in combination with a slidingV plate adapted to be raised by said front operating means so as to lock said covers in their closed position when said fronts are in their raised position. Y

llO

4. A display cabinet comprising a plurality of compartments in stepped relation, each compartment being provided with a hinged cover and a sliding front, means for lifting said covers and means for lowering said fronts, means for locking said fronts in their lifted position comprising a stud formed on said front lifting means and a plate fixed to said cabinet perforated to form a catch for said stud, in combination with means for preventing the lifting of said covers when said fronts are in lifted position.

5. A display cabinet comprising a plurality of compartments in stepped relation, each compartment being provided with a hinged cover and a sliding front, means for lifting said covers, means for lowering said fronts comprisin r cords connected to said fronts respectively and to an arm, a rockshaft carrying said arm, a bellcrank fulcrumed upon said rockshaft, and asliding plate adapted to be moved by said bellcrank to lock said cover lifting means.

6. A display cabinet comprising a plurality of compartments in stepped relation, each compartment being provided with a.

hinged cover and a sliding front, means for lifting said covers comprising bellcranks positively connected to said covers, keys adapted to be manually actuated, rods connecting said keys with said bellcranks, in combination with means for lowering said sliding fronts and means for preventing actuation of said keys when said fronts are in raised or closed posit-ion.

7. A display cabinet comprising a plurality of compartments in stepped relation, each compartment being provided with a hinged cover and a sliding front, means for lifting said covers comprising bellcranks positively connected to said cove-rs, keys adapted to be manually actuated, rods connecting said keys with said bellcranks, means for lowering said fronts comprising cords connected to said fronts respectively and to an arm, a rockshaft carrying said arm, -a bellcrank fulcrumed upon said rockshaft, and a sliding plate adapted to be moved by said last mentioned bellcrank to lock said cover lifting means.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

JAMES ARTHUR LILEY. 

